


Mangia

by Stu (stunudo)



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: BAU Fluff, BAU Team - Freeform, BAU family, Family Dinner, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 21:45:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14222433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stunudo/pseuds/Stu
Summary: David Rossi is stubborn, too stubborn to admit he is sick. Leave it to the team to take care of their resident spaghetti dad.





	Mangia

The tingle in the back of his throat was starting to get ridiculous. It had been three days of discomfort and David Rossi didn’t get sick. The germs knew better than to try and mess with an Italian of his caliber. He took an Altoid out of his pocket and headed into the crime scene. The kid was already engaged with the crime scene techs, so Rossi did what he did best, consult with the lead detective.

By the second afternoon on the case, he was getting the chills left and right. What was this nonsense?! He added another layer beneath his dress shirt and blazer and continued to work the profile. By now, the team had finally caught on.

Emily had stayed behind at the precinct to approach him gently, “Rossi, you know, this being a local case, if you need a day to rest. You can take it, just say the word.”

Rossi side-eyed his chief, “Emily, I’m fine. Besides, if Gideon or I ever took a sick day this team wouldn’t be here.”

“Suit yourself,” Emily shook her head.  
______________________________________  
Dave Rossi sat silently in the passenger seat as Alvez drove them away from the arrest aftermath, in one of their standard SUVs. Luke sighed and Rossi rolled his eyes.

“Don’t kid.”

“What?” Alvez chuckled.

“Don’t offer to drive me home, I’m not your prom date.” Just then a deep chest cough took over Rossi’s body. After a minute longer than he liked to acknowledge, he gave Luke’s smug face a formidable glare.

“You need some water?”

“Drop me off here, I’ll walk.” Rossi muttered.

Eventually they pulled into the parking garage at headquarters, Rossi left Luke to sort through signing in the vehicle. The older agent walked calmly to his office, muffling a few more coughing fits before grabbing his briefcase and overcoat. He was done with all the patronizing glances, when did they all become such mother hens?  
___________________________________  
There was a gorgeous, yet massive Cadillac convertible was parked in his circular drive way when he pulled in. The team’s overstepping knew no bounds, apparently. Stepping into his grand foyer, David Rossi smelled something spices and heard excited voices from the kitchen.

Branding one of his many aprons, stood Penelope Garcia, hair back and sleeves rolled back as she stirred something comforting and faint on the range. “Penelope, why is Esther in my spot?” David chided, his voice hoarse.

“Rossi, how are you?” Penelope gushed as Hayden approached him, expertly feeling his forehead.

“Don’t answer a question with a question,” Rossi put up with the mothering from his ex-wife, but he didn’t need to be cooked for. That was what he did to relax. “Garcia, why are you here?”

“Because I called her, dear” Hayden cooed, her deep voice soothing his sore ears. “I have to head to the airport, and as I recall, you don’t know how to take care of yourself when you are sick.”

“Because I don’t get sick.” Rossi argued. “Do you need a ride? I had to park on the circle.”

“I have a car coming,” Hayden admitted, “Go get comfortable, David, let Penelope work.” She held his hand firmly as there came a knock at the door. “Thanks again, Penelope!” Hayden called as Rossi showed her to the door. She kissed him gently on his flushed forehead, avoiding his obvious germs.

Rossi sauntered back to the kitchen, watching the blonde spin around his sacred space, suspiciously.

“Sir?” Penelope stated firmly, “Go shower, get the last case off you. The soup will be here when you get back.”

“Garcia, if you dull my knives or lose a ladle,” Rossi began.

“Hush, I will ask before I put anything back.” Garcia shook a wooden spoon at the older man. “Go, let me work.”

Rossi didn’t have the energy to forcibly remove the tech analyst from his home. A shower sounded perfect, it wasn’t the end of the world if he took her advice.  
___________________________________  
The steam from the shower helped calm his throat, he felt refreshed as he dressed in jeans and an old sweater. He slapped on his aftershave and ambled down his spiraling staircase. There were voices and laughter reverberating from the dinning room, a string of Italian curses muttered beneath his breath. Preparing for the worst, Rossi takes a deep breath and pushes through the heavy eight foot doors.

“Oh, there he is!” Simmons calls from his seat beside Lewis. Rossi takes in the entire BAU team gathered around his banquet sized table. The smiling faces, the easy banter, all enough to warm his extremely healthy ticker. At the head of the table was a large bowl of steaming broth, with a large glass of water beside a small glass of an amber liquid. A fresh loaf of bread lay on a cutting board beside his napkin, Garcia proudly held out his chair for him.

The moment he was seated Emily let out a long sigh, “So when do we get to drink the wine?”

Alvez whipped a hunk of bread crust at the Unit Chief, “Geez, Prentiss, antsy much?”

“Hey, I think we were all just waiting for the okay from our host.” Lewis shrugged.

“Oh you mean, me?” Rossi teased, slowly taking a long pull from his soup. “Because its not like any of you were invited tonight.”

“Uh, actually. I was following orders.” Garcia muttered, looking away from Emily.

“We were invited,” Spencer countered and quickly stopped with the look on Rossi’s face. “But that wouldn’t count, because…”

“I brought fruit salad, enough to last you a week of breakfasts!” Y/N offered, hoping to appease the grouchy senior agent.

“Hey, I brought my mother’s kimchi, that stuff’ll clear your sinuses right up.” Simmons added.

“And I brought my self,” Tara said into her glass of wine, that JJ had slyly began pouring.

“Salute, to Rossi’s health,” Alvez began, but stuttered when Rossi set his napkin down and stood.

“As you are all in my house, I get to make the toasts.” Rossi stuck his tongue in his cheek, forcing the agents to pause with apprehension. “To the most loyal, pain-in-the-ass, generous team an old Marine could ask for.” He raised his glass, “Salute!”

The chorus of reciprocation broke the tension in the room followed by laughter and clinking glasses. The night continued on, quietly after ten, Rossi bowed out from the festivities and got to bed in order to get his genius-mandated rest. Slowly JJ and Simmons headed home to be with their spouses, leaving Garcia, Y/L/N, Alvez, Lewis, Prentiss and Reid to clean up. As Garcia cooked, she decided she should supervise. She hiked her feet on to one of the bar stools and polished off the collective eighth bottle of wine for the evening.

“I don’t know what half of these utensils even are!” Y/N explained as they carefully put each ladle and knife in its proper place. Somehow Garcia had talked Alvez into giving her and Emily massages, leaving Lewis and Reid to escort Y/N home, as they had a bottle and a half themselves.  
_________________________________________  
At precisely 6:30 the next morning Rossi strolled downstairs for his daily cup of coffee, only to find Prentiss, Garcia and Alvez all asleep in the den, fully clothed and huddled beneath an old quilt.

“And this is why I cook alone.” Rossi muttered, adding another blanket to the snoring trio.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my tumblr. stunudo.tumblr.com as a request in Fall 2017


End file.
